Here's How The Historic Phone Call Between Obama And Hassan Rouhani Happened

At 3:35 p.m. ET, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani sent out a
tweet that marked the most significant progress in U.S.-Iranian
relations in more than three decades:

Twitter/@HassanRouhani

The tweet was quickly deleted — perhaps because Rouhani had
inadvertently scooped what would be a huge announcement from U.S. President Barack
Obama. Depending on what happens in the months and years to
come, Rouhani's tweet has the potential of being a historic
announcement.

"Just now, I spoke on the phone with President Rouhani of
the Islamic Republic of Iran," Obama said at 3:42 p.m. ET in a
statement from the White House briefing room. It was the first
time that U.S. and Iranian leaders had spoken since the 1979
Iranian revolution.

"The two of us discussed our ongoing efforts to reach an
agreement over Iran’s nuclear program. I reiterated to President
Rouhani what I said in New York — while there will surely be
important obstacles to moving forward, and success is by no means
guaranteed, I believe we can reach a comprehensive
solution."

Obama
on the phone with Rouhani.Twitter/@PeteSouza

The call marked more progress in the thawing of icy relations
between the two countries, which has come on the heels of
repeated conciliatory statements from Rouhani since he assumed
office in early August. Earlier this week, Obama spoke at the United Nations and said
that the U.S. would pursue a path of diplomacy with Iran.

In a conference call with reporters, a senior administration
official said that Iran's government initiated the phone call
following a week of progress at the U.N. that included a
high-level meeting between U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and
Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif.

The call took place around 2:30 p.m. ET for 15 minutes, the
official said. Obama made the call while Rouhani was in a car to
the airport.

The administration official said that Congress and Israel's
government were notified of the call between the two leaders, and
that Israel will be kept updated of progress in negotiations.

"This is something we have an obligation to test," the
administration official said of diplomatic relations with
Iran.

The official also said that the White House was aware of
Rouhani's Twitter account. Though it is not verified, the White
House seemed to confirm that the account is authentic. The
official said it provided an accurate readout of the leaders'
call.

"We did watch President Rouhani's Twitter feed," the
official said. "Frankly, we've watched him use social media to
communicate over the last several weeks." The official said it
was a "welcome development."

The two leaders spoke through interpreters. But at the end
of the call, they parted by offering "good byes" in their
respective languages.